4x go-to high protein low carb meals under 300 calories

Introduction

As a man of a certain age (ahem…) I find myself watching my weight more and more. One of the easiestways I have found to control my bodyweight is by having a repertoire of a few delicious high protein, low carb meals under 300 calories which I can cycle into my diet day in day out. 

These can all be prepared in advance as well to keep hassle ultra-low and remove temptation to snack / deviate from your plan!

And the best thing… These are all delicious, packed full of fruits and veggies and can be tweaked each time to keep them fresh and varied.

At a glance…

• Low calorie, high protein meals can be delicious!
• Greek yogurt, lean meats and whey protein are staples for keeping protein high
• Adding fruit and vegetables is a low calorie ways to bulk out meals while adding vital micro nutrients and fiber

Fruit & Greek yogurt

When working with such low calorie meals the key is packing as much flavour as we can into everything. The flavoured Skyr yogurts are incredible at packing a punch of flavour – so much so we will mix 2x together here to keep it interesting.

This is my go-to breakfast during the week when I need a high protein hit first thing in the morning. I like this simple breakfast as it is low fat and minimises unnecessary carbohydrate calories (which i would prefer to eat later in the day) while tasting really sweet and full of flavour. 

By including blueberries (or other fruit of your choice) we get off to a good start trying to hit our 5-a-day as well as adding some much needed texture and fiber to the meal.

Ingredients:

• 150g of Super Berry Skyr yogurt
• 150g of Passion Fruit, Mango & Papaya Skyr yogurt
• 85g of blueberries

Macros:

• 41g carbohydrates / 1g fat / 31g protein / 2g fiber
• Calories: 312kcal (slightly over our target of 300cals!)

Method:

• Wash the blueberries (or any other fruit of your choosing)
• Pour 150g of each Skyr yogurt into a bowl. Do not mix together.
• Add your blueberries
• Enjoy!

ProYo & Berries

Similar to the above, another great go-to breakfast is ProYo (protein yogurt). It’s similar to our fruit & Greek yogurt breakfast above, with the key difference being less ingredients as well as higher protein and lower carbohydrates for when you’re seriously trying to cut calories.

This is a great ‘one pot’ approach for breakfast or general snacks as you can mix in all your usual supplements. I also love that I can meal prep’ it in advance so I can have a batch of these in the fridge to grab & go.

Nando’s Piri Piri chicken & root veg

This is another great meal which can be bulk cooked and eaten throughout the week. I have a preference to prepare the vegetables on the day when I can, but I cook my chicken in advance virtually without fail and stick it in the fridge for up to 5 days usually.

Meal prep’d lunches are a great way to try and keep your weight in check!

For a standard working week I would say I eat this meal – or a close derivative – most days. I mix up the sauce to add variety (honourable shout out to BBQ sauce) if I need it, but I do love the Nando’s Piri Piri heat!

Ingredients:

• 150g of chicken breast (raw)
• 120g of broccoli
• 120g of carrots
• Nando’s Piri Piri sauce
• Seasoning (I like Schwartz Season All which gives a nice salty kick)

Macros:

• 11g carbohydrates / 3g fat / 42g protein / 6g fiber
• Calories: 249kcal

Method:

• I bulk cook 4x portions of the chicken at once with the vegetables freshly cooked each day
• Use a zero cal cooking spray to coat your pan, and add a splash of water to the pot to help stop the meat from sticking
• Add your chicken breast with a covering of Nando’s Piri Piri sauce to your pan and cook with a lid on
• Once cooked through take off the heat and use a spatula to break up the chicken breast into chunks, or alternatively use a pair of forks to get a ‘pulled chicken’ finish
• Add another splash of Piri Piri sauce and your seasoning to the pan and mix in
• Once cooled spoon the mixture into containers to be refrigerated
• For the vegetables add to a pan, covering with water. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes
• Drain the vegetables immediately and toss in a sieve to help them dry off
• Season with salt & pepper to taste, and toss again
• Serve with a portion of Piri Piri chicken

Homemade protein & raisin bran

Cereal is something I could eat all day… Every day. Some people think I’m mad – but there’s something extremely satiating about shovelling some cereal in!

I found myself avoiding cereal when I was losing weight as the milk was relatively high tariff in terms of fat and carbohydrate content while the overall protein level was less than I’d usually aim for.

Protein and raisin bran is my solution to this – on paper it looks a little weird, but it is really nice and sweet while giving me a solid hit of protein and fiber.

Ingredients:

• 30g Tesco High Fibre Bran
• 30g raisins 
• 25g chocolate whey protein powder

Macros:

• 38g carbohydrates / 3g fat / 24g protein / 7g fiber
• Calories: 291kcal

Method:

• Weigh out the bran and raisins into a bowl
• Mix up the whey protein powder with approximately 120ml of water
• Pour the protein shake over the cereal and mix well
• Customise this meal by adding additional fruit (banana goes well with the raisins) and adjusting the measure of whey to meet your needs

Final thoughts

I’m not afraid of fat or carbohydrates – in fact I love them both! That said when I am losing weight I try and ‘save’ these for family meals later in the day. 

That’s when these recipes really come into their own as they are quick and easy to make high protein, low carbohydrate meals under 300 calories – leaving plenty of calories spare for my evening meal!